An inquiry into undercover policing will open today. Home Secretary Theresa May ordered the inquiry last year after it was found that police placed someone in the Stephen Lawrence campaign group to spy on the family of the murdered teenager.

Theresa May gives a statement following a report examining the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation. Credit: PA

May describes undercover policing as "essential", but says there's a need to restore the public's confidence in the tactic.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is to launch an investigation into the conduct of a senior Metropolitan Police officer.

It has been alleged that Commander Richard Walton obtained information about the family of Stephen Lawrence and their supporters "potentially undermining the inquiry (into Stephen's murder) and public confidence",

Sir Bernard Hogan Howe said reports of "lorry loads" of shredding did not match up with the accounts he had heard.

In terms of when we knew about the shredding, it was on February 4 this year when officers who were providing information to Mr Ellison became aware by talking to a witness that there had been some shredding and immediately - or by the fifth - we shared that information with Mr Ellison.